The construction industry is the fabric of our country. It has proven that it has a notably resilient ecosystem. We have seen this time and time again. But without the right investment how long can we expect our productivity to have a positive impact on both our workforce and our infrastructure? How can we even consider rebuilding and making the necessary reinvestment in our roads, bridges, and waterways?
When the Nevada ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) released its 2018 Infrastructure Report Card, immediately my heart started to race with anticipation. Regardless of what the report card revealed, there was no question I was feeling a tad anxious by the outcome. Now, I have to admit, I was a little surprised; not because Nevada improved, that was the good news, but that I was really so nervous at the outset.
My concerns about the skilled workforce are pragmatic as well as principled. And here’s why. In the construction industry, we have an incredible obligation to build a road from the classroom to the workplace so the necessary skillfulness is taught to the next generation.
Digital transformation and the IoT (Internet of Things) are poised to grow in a big way. Zion Market Research, for example, predicts digital transformation will grow 19.2% between 2016 and 2021. Perhaps one of the biggest areas for the construction industry to become connected and the adoption of the IoT is at the jobsite.
Peggy talks with author of The Leader Habit and CEO of Pinsight, Martin Lanik, who says he chose the word habit because most of our daily behavior is influenced by habit. He asks: What if leadership was a habit and how can you develop positive habits as a leader?
Peggy chats with Kristina Swallow, president, American Society of Civil Engineers, about our nation’s infrastructure and its grade of a D+. Swallow explains that the ASCE sees three solutions that can help solve this: investment, leadership, and planning for the future.
Construction is truly experiencing a period of transformation and dramatic disruption. Advanced technology and automation is playing a pivotal role in rebuilding our roads, bridges, transit, buildings, homes, and is the cornerstone of all your projects.
Later this year Constructech Magazine will be celebrating its 20th year of being in business. As a small media company, we have competed and still compete against the largest publishing firms in the world. Many firms have always considered us larger than we are. That’s because as the founder I have focused more of my attention on being the best at educating our readers on technology rather than building a war chest.
We have been talking about the jobsite getting connected for years, but only recently are we really starting to see a great surge in protective gear, sensors, RFID (radio-frequency identification), drones, and other asset-tracking devices.
Many of you have either heard of or read my blogs in which I have said we need to be focusing on our infrastructure. If you are a builder, contractor, or a construction company there is no greater time in history to be thinking about what is it going to take to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. Even President Trump has taken up the cause and made mention of it in his first State of the Union speech. Why? First, there is more at stake than an infrastructure that gets a D+ grade from the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers). And not just because it’s failing and it’s failing quickly. Perhaps even more importantly, we should be asking how we are going to solve our infrastructure problems if we can’t even find the skilled workforce to build those roads, bridges, and dams that most citizens take for granted every day.